Avoided
/əˈvɔɪdɪd/
verbBeginnerVery CommonGeneral
Meaning
Question
Definitions
1
To keep away from; to prevent oneself from doing something.
/əˈvɔɪdɪd/
verbneutralBeginner
General
To prevent something from happening
I avoided the potholes in the road.
💡 Simply: To stay away from something
More Examples
2
She avoided answering the difficult question.
How It's Used
General
"He avoided the crowded streets by taking a back road."
Driving
"She skillfully avoided the accident."
Past tense of 'avoid', from Old French 'eviter', ultimately from Latin 'vitare' meaning 'to shun'.
The word 'avoid' and its past tense 'avoided' have maintained consistent usage since its introduction into Middle English, primarily retaining its sense of shunning or keeping away from.
Memory tip
Think of 'void' – avoiding something means creating an empty space between you and it.
Practice
Base: avoid
avoidedaviodedavoyded
Usage
70%Spoken
30%Written